Snacks Are Killing Real Meals

Some reach for chips, while others grab a yogurt. Still, some enjoy chocolate or fruits. No matter the treat, one thing is for sure, we love nibbling so much it’s replacing some of our meals.

A survey of global snack habits conducted by the Nielsen organization, shows nearly half of respondents admit snacking instead of eating meals, according to James Russo, senior vice president of global consumer insights at Nielsen.

“We do have a blurring of the lines of what is a snack and what is a meal.”

According to the “Nielsen Global Survey Snacking,” consumers globally spent $374 billion on snack foods in the 2013-14 fiscal year, 2 percent increase. They also polled 30,000 people in 60 countries about their snacking habits in February and March 2014 to understand when and why we eat between meals.

The vast majority of respondents, 91 percent, admitted to having a snack once a day. And 21 percent admitted loving it so much they nibbled on treats throughout the day, before and after real meals.

Globally, 45 percent of people admit to snacking instead of eating a meal: 52 percent of those snack for breakfast, 43 percent snack for lunch, and 40 percent snack for dinner. This trend is not healthy, so further actions on changing the eating habits should be taken into consideration.